


we were built for ruin

by novaranthine



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Childhood Friends, Emotional Manipulation, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Other, Platonic Relationships, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26766505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novaranthine/pseuds/novaranthine
Summary: You can't save everyone.A king's path is wrought with sacrifice and bloodshed. There is no salvation at the end of the road he walks.Everything ends in tragedy.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Dave | Technoblade, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Darryl Noveschosch & Sapnap, Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 4
Kudos: 110





	we were built for ruin

“Are you ready to lose, porkchop?” Dream smiles at him, confidence radiating off him in waves. He secures his daggers to his belt before taking a step forward, the undergrowth crunching beneath the heel of his boot. Techno smirks back, securing his own sword with one last pull. 

"The disrespect! I'm your _king_!" He responds, sarcasm dripping from his tone. Dream snorts. 

"You're just a mere piglet! Your tiny head won't be able to shoulder that crown!" 

“Not only are you disrespecting your king, but you’re also bold enough to insult him?” Techno raises an eyebrow at him, clicking his tongue softly as he turns his nose up and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m sending you to the stocks for this, you’ll be tasting rotten vegetables for days!” 

“Only if they can catch me,” Dream proudly declares, pounding his fist against his chest. “I’m like a ghost after all!”

Laughter breaks out between them as they continue their march forward, disappearing into the thicket of trees and pushing past the low hanging branches and vines. Far from the confines of the castle walls and away from the stifling expectations that come with royalty, Techno relaxes and allows himself to breathe.

“Come on!” Dream exclaims, snapping him out of his reverie with a gentle smack to his shoulder as he jogs ahead of him, hollering. “ Last one is a rotten potato!” 

He watches as Dream scales the tree in one swift movement, hooking his leg over the sturdy branch and hoisting himself over it in one fluid motion. The other boy navigates himself through the trees, moving from one branch to another with practised grace. Dream glances over his shoulder and has the audacity to stick his tongue out at him. Not one to lose, Techno races after him, his own chuckle echoing in the soft billow of wind. 

* * *

“You cheater.” Techno huffs as he comes face to face with a smug Dream leaning against the thick trunk of the oak tree. 

"I wouldn't call it _cheating_ per say, just giving myself an advantage!" He replies merrily. Technoblade rolls his eyes at him, fighting away the small smile curling on his lips. 

"Sure, tell yourself that," He responds as he walks towards the mouth of the cave hidden behind low hanging branches and dense bushery. Techno crouches low enough for his head to not hit the lip of the cave as he hops down to the bottom, water splashing against his heeled boots. He tilts his head up slightly, searching for the familiar tuff of blond hair who emerges from the thicket with a smile as he hops down and lands besides Techno in one smooth motion. Without a word, they fall into step with each other, marching deeper into the cave where the rays of sunlight can no longer reach them. 

When the darkness fully shrouds them, Techno raises his hand to his face. Inhaling lightly, a golden sheen coats his body before it slowly creeps up to his arm and into his raised hand. It condenses into a ball of brilliant white that hovers over his palm. 

“ **⎓╎∷ᒷ⎓ꖎ||**.” The ball of light leaves his hand and darts in front of them, illuminating their path as they navigate themselves towards the tunnels. 

“You and your magic tricks.” Dream huffs beside him, “I do have a torch, you know. We could have just used that.” He adds, clicking his tongue lightly. There’s no real bite in his words, merely amusement.

“And not show off my cool magic? You must be out of your mind.” Dream wheezes beside him when he responds, voice lacking any inflection. He didn’t really get it, but apparently by simply doing this he can reduce his friend into a laughing mess.“It’s not that funny! _God_ , you’re such a loser.” He finds himself smiling anyways. 

Here in the embrace of the cave’s darkness, shrouded in the smell of petrichor and moss, Techno finds himself at home. It’s strange, really, finding comfort in a dark cave where the rocks are kind of slippery and the thick tree roots weave itself in the earthen ceiling and into the walls—it’s nothing like the palace where he can live leisurely, servants at his beck and call...and yet he feels as if he’s suffocating on the very air he breathes whenever he walks down the regal halls of the palace. This cave with Dream has become his sanctuary, his home away from home, a place where he can pretend he is not a prince and the world does not look up to him as he shoulders the responsibility of being royalty. Here he can just be Technoblade, here he can be himself without having to constantly think of consequences for his each and every action. Here, he is embraced for who he is, status be damned. 

A warm hand drags him out of his thoughts. 

“Techno?” Dream softly calls out to him, fingers gently pressing against his shoulder, “You’ve been spacing out, are you okay?” He asks, his other hand now grasping Techno’s hand in it, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

“Yeah, I’m fine...just have a lot on my mind, I guess.” A flicker of guilt crosses Dream’s expression for a brief moment and before Techno could ask, the boy pulls him along as they head deeper into the tunnel until they reach an alcove hidden behind thick vine leaves. 

Dream drags him towards the shabby mat that he always proudly insisted to be a bed. Techno was pretty sure it was just a mat, but he digresses. 

Sitting down with their backs against the wall, shoulders pressed together, Dream rests his head on Techno’s shoulder. Silence blankets over them as Dream pieces himself together. He’s dreading this conversation and it makes Techno nervous but he waits and lets Dream gather his thoughts. The fragile silence breaks as Dream sighs softly and seeks his hand, holding on to it as if it was a lifeline. He begins to speak. 

“I’ll be leaving again soon.” For a moment Techno couldn’t will himself to breathe, he squeezes Dream’s hand and scoots closer. There’s something final about the way he speaks and Techno fears that if he leaves this time, he would never return.

“You just left a month ago and you’ve been back _barely_ a week.” He hates how weak his voice sounds as he speaks. 

Dream leaving is nothing new, the boy would disappear for a week or two and then return with trinkets at hand and a story to tell. He’d always listen, enamoured and envious of his freedom, not that he’ll ever hold it against him. Dream tells him stories of old abandoned mineshafts, of kind villagers allowing him to stay in their small hamlets, of sunsets and sunrises and wishes of having Techno there with him. He found it heartwarming to hear that no matter how far Dream travels, no matter how many new people he meets, Techno is always at the forefront of his mind. It reassures him that he will always have a place in Dream’s life, but as the years roll on and Dream leaves more frequently than before, Techno finds himself questioning. It doesn’t help that Dream keeps him in the dark, always leaving with vague explanations that created more questions. Of course it’s not Dream’s fault that he’s stuck here, he has a responsibility to uphold and protect. This kingdom will one day bow to him and its future will lie at his hands, whatever he dreams of is nothing more than wishful thinking and boyhood musings best left behind.

It scares him, as much as he hates to admit it. Techno fears that one day Dream will slip from his grasp, that the distance that he feels between them will continue to grow till he can no longer bridge over the ravine that is the remnant of their friendship. He doesn’t want to lose what they have, he doesn’t want to find himself chasing after the shadow of his ghost when Dream leaves him behind. _He doesn’t want to be left behind._

Dream snakes his arm around Techno’s shoulder, pulling him close into a side hug. “I’ll be back before you know it, I promise. This should be my last one, then I’ll be here and relieve your boredom and bail you out of the palace when it gets too stuffy.” 

Techno remains unconvinced. Dream has said that before and yet he leaves time and time again, always leaving him behind to wait. He wants to go with him, to see the world beyond the palace walls, beyond the forest. He wants to see the world with his own eyes and not through story books or word of mouth, he wants to experience the joy of adventure with him ( _he will never be able to do it, he knows this, but he wishes for it anyway_ ). It's selfishness, he thinks, the yearning greed of wanting to keep his friend close and within his grasp, to keep the solace and warmth he provides without Techno needing to say a word. 

“Can you at least tell me why?” Techno sinks into his embrace, cheeks brushing against the curls of his hair. “I don’t want to hear any bullshit explanations, I deserve to know even just this much.” He softly adds, pursing his lips together. 

Dream falls silent for a moment. 

"I'll show you." Untangling himself from Techno, he pulls himself up to his feet and offers his hand to him, smiling. “Come on.”

* * *

Dream leads him into the second tunnel. The moment they stepped foot into the mouth of the tunnel, something within him stirs. 

The tunnel itself is narrow and long, a convoluted mess of interconnected tunnels that spanned further than the light of his magic could reach. He could change the intensity of the light, however there was no time for him to fully take in sight of it as Dream drags him towards the furthest entrance emanating a soft, crimson glow. Techno shudders, the thin tendrils of unease curling itself around him. _Something’s wrong._

“Is this the part where you murder me and disappear?” Dream chuckles, turning to him slightly with a raised eyebrow. 

“You have nothing of value on you, why would I do that?” He asks, bumping shoulders with him as he wheezes softly. “I’ll wait until you bring your crown and some jewelry, those would fetch nice prices on the market!” 

Their small banter does nothing to relieve the growing unease inside of him as they progress closer to the entrance. Just as they reach the wooden beams framing either side of it, Techno pauses in his steps and stares at the stretch of complex writings etched along the walls from the entrance to the dimly glowing alcove in front of them. Dream leads him on, unaware of his growing discomfort until he grabs him by the wrist and forces him to stop. Something in the back of his mind tells him to run. 

“What the hell is all this?” He whispers, gesturing towards the carved runes on the walls. It all seemed so familiar, he knows this and yet he cannot recall where he has seen it. A voice in his head pleads for him to run.

“You wanted an explanation, right?” Dream tilts his head slightly, lips pursed together as he studies Techno with those sharp green eyes. “It’s better if you see it first before I explain.”

Dream gently pulls his wrist back from Techno’s grasp, “Techno, are you okay?” 

“No. I want to leave...I,” Techno takes a shaky breath as he steps back. “We need to go.” A throbbing pain echoes in his head as a voice clamours for him to go, to run. He feels the scorching burn of something in his chest as the carvings around them pulsed ominously in the dim light. _There's something watching in the shadows, he can feel their eyes on him._

"Dream, please." He all but begs. The throbbing in his head pulses relentlessly. Techno pushes down the urge to vomit as the pulsing continues like a sledgehammer driving itself constantly against his skull. _Something is wrong_. 

"Techno—" 

"Leaving so soon?" Even in his growing nausea, Techno can make out the shape highlighted by the soft glow of the alcove in front of them. The man is tall and broad, features sharp and aristocratic; his most eye-catching feature however, is the glowing white eyes. Techno gapes as he utters the name.

"Herobrine." 

"Herobrine!" 

Dream glances at him, surprised as he is as they both utter the name of the man before them. Techno tightens his hold on Dream, tugging him towards the opposite direction as the man stalks forward, a grin curling on his lips. Herobrine bows shallowly, head raised and their eyes meeting. 

"To think I'd get to meet an old friend's descendant." 

"Dream, let's go. We need to run—" He pulls at his hand but the boy remains rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on the man. Herobrine smiles wider. 

"Dream," Herobrine starts. 

Techno doesn't miss the way Dream's hand falls limply in his as his friend straightens himself, attention solely on Herobrine. He tries to drag him away but the boy remains rooted, unmoving, unblinking, the gentle light of his green eyes disappearing behind the brilliant white glow—it looked exactly like Herobrine's eyes. 

" **ꖌ╎ꖎꖎ ⍑╎ᒲ** " 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for this fandom,,, hopefully my writing gets better as this progresses.
> 
> I'd like to thank my beta reader, Star, for putting up with my writing lol, she's cool.


End file.
